Turbine control valve



June 17, 1941.

E. S. CORNELL, JR

TURBINE CONTROL VALVE Filed S t. 3. 1938 Patented June 17, 1941 on so :sm'rss PATENT FHQE 2,246,033; I oonrnel. sin-Lyn "Edward s. Cornell, Jr.,'Larchmont, N. Y.

Application-September 3, iSb'SgSefizilNo. 228,278 iszcln'ms. wrist-41$ This-invention relates to valves.

The invention finds particular application to :valves'for controlling the flow of airgwater, steam or :other fluid to a fluid-operated turbine. A typical example of service may lbe-found in 'my U. :S. 'PatentNo. 2,038,347, granted April 21, 1936, entitled Air conditioned heating :and cooling sys- :tem, describing and claiming a :heatingeystem embodying heatin units with which are associated fan means driven by 'an ai'r operated turbine, compressed air for the operation thereo'f being generated by a central "compressor plant. Said fan means directs a blast :of air overthe heating units, and warmed air is circulated "throughoutthe enclosure served by such heating "unit.

' As will be apparent, control of the thermal output of the heating units may-be effected by controlling the rate of rotation of the fan with conthe heating units; a simple manner of accomplishing such control is to regulate theinflowof "fluid to the turbine.

It is an object of the present invention to-prosequent control of the volume'of airdirected over vide an improved valve for the control of such a turbine, and particularly, to provide a valve wherein suitable means are provided for straining or filtering the inflowing fluid to the turbine, to the end that the inflow nozzle of the turbine and the rotor of such turbine will not be clogged by inflowing dirt particles.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a control valve embodying filter means In which a substantial portion of the filter is maintained out of the path of fluid flowing through the valve, and thus protected from the clogging effect of dirt or the like carried by the flowing fluid, and providing a reserve filter portion which may be subsequently used after the initially exposed portion of the filter has become clogged.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved filter organization, as aforesaid, in which the filter element thereof is readily removable by the house owner or other operator of the heating system, and repositioned to bring the clean portion of the filter into operative position, while disposing the clogged portion of the filter out of thepath of flowing fluid.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective of a heat exchange unit provided with a valve pursuant to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, showing the installation of'the-unit of Fig. 1 withina wall of -a building;

Fig. 3 is a section of a valve forming thesuh- 'ject matter -of the present invention;

' Fig.4 a perspectiveof the filter screen assembly.

"A "heating unit Hi, which includes a suitable nn-tube heat exchanger l I arranged for suitable connection with thermal fluid circulation pipes of a-s'team-orhot water heating system, is provided withpower driven 'fan means l2 to draw air from the room or enclosure being heated inwardly throug-h marginal openings 13 in the grille EM, and discharge it into the room, after first passing it over the heated elements of the "heat exchanger H. t The heat exchanger and fan means, as described inmy aforesaid U.iS.Patent -No. 2j038;347, may be contained .within, a suitable casing 15 concealed within the wall space of a building, see Fig. 2, the external cover plate or grille being adjacent the outer surface of such wall.

The fan :12 :may, as in my aforesaid patent, lb'esdriven b-yan air turbine t6, suppliedwithcompressed air through a conduit I! connected to ian'y;suitable .air compressor means. With suitxable'alteration of the turbine, the steam or water circulated through the heat exchanger ll, may actuate the turbine.

Control over the heat output of the heating units [0 may be exercised by suitable control over the speed of rotation of the turbine It. To effect such control, there is provided a turbine control valve 26, Which forms the subject matter of the present invention.

Advantageously, and as later described in detail, the valve is of the rotating, non-lift, plug type, such type affording economies in manufacture and operating advantages not present in conventional gate, globe or like valves.

Referring to Fig. 3, the valve includes a body 2|, advantageously of the angle type. The body 2| has an inflow passage 22 and an outflow passage 23, at the intersection of which is disposed a valve plug 24. Suitable means for the connection of the valve to the fluid inlet line H, and to a discharge (turbine inlet) line 25, are provided. Fig. 3 illustrates the use of a sweat jointed connection at l-!, and a compression nut connection with discharge line 25.

Disposed intermediate the inlet line I! and the inflow passage 22 there is provided a novel filter, see Figs. 3 and 10, comprising a tube 26 formed of fine mesh screen, an end of said tube being frictionally held within a suitable cavity within the shank of a screw 21.

To accommodate such screen and the supporting screw 21 thereof, the valve body 2| is provided with suitable openings, intersecting the line of flow from conduit into inflow chamber 22. As seen in Fig. 3, such openings include a circular well 28, the side walls and base portion of which are closely contacted by the tube 26 when such tube is in operating position. The walls of such well 28 preclude possibility of a short circuit around the under side of the screen, and prevent the introduction of foreign matter into the inflow portion of the valve body. A

suitable gasket 29 and bearing washer 30, may 7 r be inserted beneath the head portion of the filter screen mounting screw 21, to efiect a fluid tight joint of such head portion with said valve body.

As indicated in Fig. 10, the filter may be removed from the valve body as a unit, merely by unscrewing the filter screw 21. As shown in Fig. 3, the entire opening of the valve inlet chamber 22 is located at the lower central portion of the screen 26. The screen 26 being frictionally held within the cavity within the shank of its supporting screw 21, such screen is readily removable from the screw, and should the screen be clogged with dirt, its efficiency may be restored, without a special cleaning operation, by merely removing the filter screen 26 from the screw 2'! and tuming it end over end to position the clogged portion of the screen within the shank of the screw and remote from the inlet chamber 22. The clean end of the screen must then necessarily be in the path of fluid flow.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a valve, the combination with a valve body having a flow passage, of plug means removably passing through an opening in a wall of said valve body adjacent such flow passage, and filter means having a length of filtering surface substantially greater than the diameter of said flow passage removably secured to said plug means and withdrawable through such valve wall opening as a unit with said plug means upon removal of said plug means from said valve body wall, a portion of said filter means substantially equal to the diameter of said flow passage being shielded from flow of fluid through said valve passage by the cooperation of said plug means and said valve body, substantially the remainder of said filter means being positioned transversely of said flow passage in filtering relationship therewith.

2. In a valve, the combination with a valve body having a flow passage and an aperture through said valve body in the wall of said passage, of plug means screw threadedly secured in said aperture and having a shank provided with an axially disposed cavity of substantial depth defined by imperforate walls, and filter means having a width less than the diameter of said valve body aperture and a length of filtering surface substantially greater than the diameter of said flow passage, an end portion of said filter means being removably secured within said plug aperture by frictional engagement with the walls thereof, substantially one-half of the total filtering surface of said filter means being disposed in the path of fluid flow through said valve flow passage, and the remainder of said filtering surface being shielded from filtering association with said flowing fluid by the cooperation of said plug shank and said valve wall.

3. In a valve, the combination with the body thereof, of plug means removably associated with a wall of said body and accessible exteriorly of said body, and filter means removably secured to said plug means by engagement of an end portion of said filter means with said plug means, said plug means disposing a portion of said filter means transversely of the path of fluid flow through said valve, and said plug means and said valve body cooperating to shield substantially one-half of said filter means from contact with such flowing fluid.

EDWARD s. CORNELL, JR. 

